Saturday, 12 March 2011

To coincide with the V&A, Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas celebrated the opening of the first Y-3 flagship store in London with a party in the top of Centre Point with views across the city scape. Films played on screens depicting Yohji at work and a trailer shot for the brand by Jacob Sutton. Here are guests Aaron Frew (new face of Calvin Klein) and Lucy Bridge (makeup muse to Tim Walker) with their matching fantastic footwear!

Friday, 11 March 2011

Last evening was the unveiling of the Yohji Yamamoto retrospective at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Three years in the making, its a site specific safari set up around the different galleries of the vast museum rather than just the one layout plan in a singular room. These satellite installations are interactive with an initiative for visitors to engage with the garments via an open invitation to touch the pieces and investigate the textiles through tactile experience. I had a good feel around this beautiful hand rushed and pleated red dress which reminded me of a Fortuny gown in its soft decadence and drape. Tom Ryling particularly liked this pink jacket which was sewn perfectly to appear worn inside out - which was ironic as I was actually wearing my Cooperative Designs jumper inside out!!!Also in attendance were Nick Night and Peter Saville who are responsible for the artwork of the exhibition guide. The all important special guest however was Yohji himself who took to a podium to speak and introduce his mother who was celebrating her 95th birthday in addition to the exhibition opening! A secondary outpost of the retrospective opens at The Wapping Project this evening acting as an extension to the 60 creations in the main space at The V&A. I only had time to snap this crucial collection of clothes in the main neon strip lit space with walls decorated in illustrations painted by Yohji just prior to the opening. I'll have to return to roam the corridors and cabinets of the museum to find the rest of the mannequins nestling inbetween the tapestries and sculptures of the museum's permanent collection.

(Portrait of Tom Ryling and Yu Masui ......... click over to Yu's blog to see more pics from the private view including Yoji, Wim Wenders and Suzy Menkes ......... and check out Tom Ryling's interview with Masao Nihei, Yohji Yamamoto’s longtime collaborator on Glass Magazine)

Here is Katie Franklin who baked up a psychedelic Battenberg inspired by my AW11 collection for the private view of The W Project........... head over to her site to see more fashion inspired cake decoration including Alex Noble and Patternity. Thanks Katie!!!

Thursday, 10 March 2011

The various fun and games of the private view all caught on camera by Simon Archer Hurlstone who is always on hand to document the different "Work It" club nights and events the girl's organise. The dogtooth upholstered pyramid by Jiggery Pokery is an interactive sculpture where you can look inside a hole and enter a multicolour kaleidoscope that whizzes round with lights flashing to conjure the spectrum spell!The exhibition is up for 2 more days culminating in an evening of events tomorrow. Elisha, Kim Howells and I will be screening our 4 fashion films with a Q&A session for all budding cinematic buffs. Catering will come care of "The Sit Down Affair" which is the culinary concept masterminded by illustrator Josephine Chime. If that's not enough to wet your appetite ........ Carolyn Franklin is also joining the proceedings with a presentation about her charity "All Walks Beyond The Catwalk". See you there!

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

At the opening party for The W Project, a photobooth was set up to capture the visitors ........ including here Sharmadean Reid (director of WAH! Nails) with her newest project - little baby Roman! ........ here you can also see Loren and Teo who are the ladies behind curating The W Project........ more photos from the private view to follow.......

When I left NYC from my holiday in October GABi was getting very excited designing a circular padded coat with concentric circle embroidery.............. five months later here are backstage photos of the final threeASFOUR AW11 collection. The linear seams spread out across the body with string tied into musical accessories and eyelet leather panels. Special shoes were designed with the musical theme in mind, incorporating tuning forks as the heels to balance the hinged scale soles................ INCREDIBLE!

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Today marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day and two incredible London ladies took it upon themselves to curate an exhibition to showcase work by creative females across disciplines to celebrate the occasion. Both Teo Connor and Loren Platt have their own full time practises but set out to take on the challenge to put together this multi-faceted project in their spare time. Im so impressed by their initiative to come up with the idea in the first place and secondly organise the gigantic task! They have designed and manufactured posters, bags and pin badges to run with the identity of their theme "Blessed Are The Art Makers" .......... and balloons which we've been blowing up this morning. The space is coming together with the various participants visiting the beautiful sunlit Russian Club Gallery to install their individual items. Here I've caught Anna Garforth photographing her finished moss composition and Josephine Chime taking a step back to look at her illustration panels. Visit the show to see the all the paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, books and films by artists: Alex Cunningham, Alex Holder, Amy Gwatkin, Anna Garforth, Anna Leader, Anna Margrethe Pedersen, Chrissie Abbott, Elisha Smith-Leverock, Emma Sheridan, Fred Butler, Grace Ladoja, Jaime Perlman, Jasmine Raznahan, Jennie Hancock, Jennifer Crouch, Jeongeun Choi, Jess Willson, Jiggery Pokery, Jo Glover, Josephine Ada Chinonye Chime, Katie Franklin, Kim Longinotto, Lauren Cochrane, Liz Mermin, Lola Peach Baxter, Loren Fillis, Louise Naunton Morgan, Milly Freeman, Molasis, Naomi James, Nina Manandhar, Norma Gaunt, Pilar Munro, Poppy Chancellor, Rosy Nicholas, Ruby Savage, Safia El-Dabi, Sara El Dabi, Sarah Raphael, Shaz Madani, Suzannah Pettigrew, Tara Darby, Vicky Langdon, Vicky Mather(Preparatory work photos top to bottom: Anna Garforth and Josephine Chime, Tara Darby, Jiggery Pokery, Safia El Dabi, Amy Gwatkin, Elisha Smith-Leverock and I, Alex Cunningham, Loren Fillis, Mary Thrift blowing balloons, me wearing the pin badge from Loren's Tumblr, the posters)

Running Rainbow

Its A London Thing

My book out on September 19th

'Multi-talented Fred Butler is quite the east London renaissance girl, with fingers in so many creative pies that they're difficult to tick off.

Of course, there are the splendidly exuberant accessories, wearable sculptures whose sparkle has attracted fashion magpies such as Gaga, Bjork and Nicki Minaj. But there is also custom made prop styling, art directing and film making.